Australian Reptile Park to celebrate 60 years

The Australian Reptile Park is turning 60 years old and is throwing a two-week long birthday extravaganza to celebrate during the school holidays.

July 2018 marks the sixth decade that the park has been open as The Australian Reptile Park, and the milestone is a huge achievement for the Central Coast wildlife sanctuary, which now welcomes over 250,000 visitors a year.

The upcoming school holidays will be all about the celebration of this momentous occasion with the biggest birthday party ever, including a jumping castle, mega slide, face painting, fairy floss and limited edition merchandise that will only be on sale these holidays. Also adding to the celebration,

The Australian Reptile Park’s four new Dingo puppies have reached the perfect age to come out and say hello to visitors. By popular demand, just for the 60th Celebration, there will be the return of daily appearances by our resident Tyrannosaurus Rex, to the delight of visitors, as a small taste of the Dinosaurs Alive! event that the Park runs during the Summer Holidays drawing record crowds. General Manager, Mr Tim Faulkner, said of the celebration: “The Australian Reptile Park is so incredibly special to not only me, but the whole region. “The families that come here, the memories that are made here, it’s all a one-of-a-kind experience. “People remember holding their first snake here, seeing their first huge saltwater croc or even just learning about our life-saving venom programs that save hundreds of lives every year.

“I couldn’t be prouder to see us doing better than ever in 2018. “We’re on track to see our biggest year yet and this holiday event is the best way to celebrate all of the Park’s achievements in tourism, animal education, conservation and venom programs,” Mr Faulkner said. The Australian Reptile Park has faced numerous challenges over the years that are now reflected on as hardships they were able to overcome. The park has faced a fire that destroyed most of the zoo in 2000, theft of various animals over the years, moving locations in 1996 and the death of Eric the Crocodile, a park icon, in 2008.